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Jun 24, 2016

Vaka Motu Okeanos Aotearoa travel blog #4: Finding land

The excitement of seeing land for the first time in a while is quite great. Last night we met the blustering skies of Tongatapu with plenty of rain. We have been taking our time (due to faults not of our own), passing the many islands of southern Tonga. Aunofo, our skipper, has been explaining about the birth of Tonga’s new island beside Hunga island and the rich history of the island groups we are surrounded by.

We were lucky enough to spend our morning around this new addition with great interest predicting its possible future. Still unnamed it feels nice to see it in its innocence.

Throughout our trip we have been lucky to have clear night skies. Two of our crew members Kawai and Tamahau are keen students of celestial navigation and have been applying their skills as well as teaching what they know to the others. Each night we gaze at the stars eager for them to guide our way.

Our journey is due to end within the next day. Decks and bunks have been cleaned ready for our grand arrival. At the start our trip we planned to arrive for Thursday to attend to some important cultural business. Sadly we are one day late meaning the crew will miss Thursday’s famous Fakaleiti show. So that the crew aren’t too disappointed to miss such an important part of Vava’u life, we are in competition for best dressed for the night. Waka life is never dull.

Waka position: Lat S19deg 55.30′ Long W174deg 53.02′

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